Stephen Malkmus hasn’t released new material with his band The Jicks since 2008′s Real Emotional Trash, but he’s had his hands full with the Pavement reunion tour. With drummer Janet Weiss joining grrrl-rock outfit Wild Flag (with former Sleater-Kinney bandmate Carrie Brownstein), some worried that the Jicks had sung their swan song.
As it turns out, their fears were unfounded. The Matador Records blog has indicated that August 23rd will see the release of Mirror Traffic (album art above), Malkmus’ fifth solo album and the last with Weiss on drums. Adding to the star power is producer Beck, a name some KEXP listeners may have heard before.
A tracklist and tour are both on the way, though neither have been announced yet. With the departure of Weiss, The Joggers drummer Jake Morris will join the Jicks for the upcoming shows. Matador has also promised an MP3 in the coming months. Until then, enjoy the video for Real Emotional Trash single “Gardenia”, featuring cameos from Ratatat, Girl Talk, Steve Turner of Mudhoney, Brian Bell of Weezer, Joe Plummer of Modest Mouse, among others.
